Canadian Immigration Offers Apology To Couple for Spousal Sponsorship Application

A Nigerian couple is receiving an official apology from Citizenship and Immigration Canada after many mistakes were made when processing their visa application.

Gideon Christian was doing his doctoral studies in law at the University of Ottawa but is becoming frustrated and was getting ready to go back to Nigeria in order to be with his wife, who he can’t seem to bring to Canada. After their wedding in September 2009, Christian – who is a permanent resident – filed a spousal sponsorship application.

Almost one year later, the Canadian embassy requested that she undergo another medical exam and an alcoholism screening test, even though she doesn’t drink. In December, another request for a medical exam was sent.

Christian learned using an Access-to-Information request that the initial medical exam letter was a mistake, but then in February his wife was told via e-mail her visa was ready. When they went to pick it up, it wasn’t ready… and they wanted another medical exam.

“We just wanted to have the opportunity to apologize profusely for the multiple errors that have occurred in the processing of this file and for the distress and expense that has caused both of them,” said a spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Now getting an apology like this from CIC does not happen everyday! In most cases, we have to go to Court to resolve such errors.

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About Fadi Minawi

Fadi is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the University of Toledo College of Law. He is called to the New York State Bar and is registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant with the Law Society of Upper Canada. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is currently serving as the Media Liaison for the Canadian Chapter of AILA. Fadi has extensive experience in US immigration matters and is the firm’s lead in the area of US immigration. He is specialized in corporate and family immigration, as well as issues dealing with US inadmissibility.

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